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Find out more about SSE

SSE’s purpose is to responsibly provide the energy and related services needed now and in the future. It aims to be a leading provider of energy and related services in a low-carbon world. Its strategy is to create value for shareholders and society from developing, owning and operating energy and related infrastructure and services in a sustainable way. These are the four pillars of the SSE strategy. Delivery of this strategy is dependent on the shared talent, skills and values of people throughout SSE.

At a glance

Creating value for shareholders and society

SSE’s vision is to be a leading energy provider in a low-carbon world. To achieve this we have set four fundamental goals for 2030 which put sustainability at heart of SSE’s business strategy. These goals aren’t just important to SSE, they matter to everyone – that’s why they are directly linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Find out more about how we are building a better world of energy for the future in this section of the website.

At a glance

Investing in Communities

SSE is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work. We understand we must contribute positively to this society by being an active contributor to the communities that we are part of.

This section of our website provides examples and case studies of how we serve the communities we operate in.

At a glance

Our strategy

SSE's strategy is to deliver the efficient operation of, and investment in, a balanced range of economically-regulated and market-based businesses in energy production, storage, transmission, distribution, supply and related services in the energy markets in Great Britain and Ireland.

Responsible employer

Attracting, developing and retaining people

SSE is acutely aware that its long-term success depends upon a sustainable pipeline of highly engaged employees. Through a very deliverate strategy, SSE seeks to secure its future by anticipating the looming skills gap expected to impact on the energy industry in the early 2020s. This will be achieved by building a diverse workforce, more representative of the communities it serves, whilst maintaining and investing in growing our human capital - the talent, knowledge, skills and abilities of our employees.

PROMOTING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

SSE recognises there is a lack of diversity across the entire energy industry – just 15% of jobs in the sector are held by women and only 4% of employees are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. Diverse and inclusive organisations are more likely to be innovative and commercially successful. SSE has been taking measures to attract and retain a genuinely diverse workforce.

SSE was one of the first FTSE companies to publish its gender pay gap and the steps it is taking to close it. It has also been working with inclusion specialists, Equal Approach, to quantify the financial return on investing in inclusion initiatives and to develop a new inclusion strategy up to 2020.

Investing in the future

Since 2007, SSE has taken on over 1,100 apprentices and trainee engineers, representing an overall investment of £88m. John Stewart, SSE’s Director of Human Resources, explains here, why investing in apprentices and trainees is the responsible thing to do.

Here, Laura Sneddon, a 30-year-old Technical Skills Trainee in SSE’s Power Distribution business, explains why she joined the programme.

Fairness at work

SSE has been a proud Living Wageaccredited employer since 2013, meaning our employees – and increasingly our contractors – earn an hourly rate that exceeds the national living wage.

Since April 2014, SSE has been rolling out the Living Wage across its supply chain. By 2020, when all SSE’s contracts are expected to contain the Living Wage Clause, roughly 800 full-time workers will have received a salary increase. You can read more about out the impacts of the Living Wage in SSE’s supply chain here.

Valuable people

Most companies claim that their people are their greatest asset. SSE was the first UK company to measure the economic value of the skills and capabilities of its employees – calculated to be £3.4bn. Establishing this value allows us to understand how we can best develop and grow these attributes.

We have also measured the return on investment from two of our key training schemes which shows how the individual, the employer and wider society all benefit from investment in sustainable employment. Read the full report here.

The Committee on Climate Change, which advises Government on emissions targets, made the headlines recently with its stark warning that unless UK homes urgently adopt more rigorous low-carbon standards, the UK will miss its 2050 carbon target.